Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

You Will Not Kiss Me	By : Prosperosdaughter Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 22836 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: JK Rowling & her associates own the Harry Potter universe and I make no money from my stories.

Chapter List
- 41
- 42
- 43
Quotes from Chapters 25 and 27 of GoF are © J.K. Rowling

Chapter 42: Who Goes There?

Snape had stowed his prize away in his chambers, not trusting this particular ingredient to his store cupboard, just as he wouldn't trust the potion to his office when the time came to brew it – not with Moody watching his every move. Moody had seen the circlet, he could see his magical eye hovering over his upper arm. Snape wondered if he could see the gold embedded in his flesh, or whether he just saw a tattoo. Whatever he may have seen, Moody gave no indication and Snape did everything he could to give the man a wide berth.

He sat considering his brewing diary. As he recalled, the optimal time to start the flight potion would be the vernal equinox, which this year fell just after the March full moon. It needed twenty-five days to mature. Just perfect! It would be ready for the full moon which fell the day before Easter so he might be able to get a few days to be with Lupin and cast the ritual with him – so much the better. It was two months away, but Snape was already excited at the thought.

However, he had in mind another potion now, one of his own devising, for the protection of the human mates of the werewolves with whom Lupin ran. Protection from vampyrs. This was also a brew for the privacy of his own chambers.

He didn't know what on earth that cacophony was – an ungodly wailing and shrieking – almost as bad as the wail of a banshee! He'd thrown himself out of bed when it jarred him awake. Too stunned to deal with putting on a robe, he'd grabbed a nightshirt and shuffled that on and his boots, grabbed his wand and went in search of the commotion, his mind racing with appropriate punishments for the perpetrators of his sleep denial at one in the morning.

As he stormed down the corridor and was about to pass his office, he stopped suddenly and inclining his head slightly saw that his door was open and the torches were lit. He pushed it gently with his boot, with his wand at the ready, and saw one of the ingredient cupboard doors was open and it had clearly been rifled. He thanked Merlin he had had the foresight not to keep the vampyr heart in there. He warded his office once more, and marched to the source of the noise, convinced it had been a distraction for the burglary of his office.

The noise stopped, but he continued in that direction anyway until he came upon Filch and his cat climbing the staircase with the missing step. He was holding a Triwizard egg which he then understood must have been the cause of the noise.

'Filch? What's going on?' he snapped, livid.

'It's Peeves, Professor," Filch whispered malevolently. 'He threw this egg down the stairs.'

Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch.

'Peeves?' said Snape softly, staring at the egg in Filch's hands. Well, that couldn't be right. 'But Peeves couldn't get into my office ...'

'This egg was in your office, Professor?'

'Of course not,' Snape snapped, talking through Filch's inane babbling, 'I heard banging and wailing - I was coming to investigate – and when I passed my office, I saw that the torches were lit and a cupboard door was ajar! Somebody has been searching it!'

'But Peeves couldn't – '

'I know he couldn't, Filch!' Snape snapped. 'I seal my office with a spell that none but a wizard could break!' Snape looked up the stairs, ... and then down into the corridor below searching for any sign of the burglar. 'I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch.' It might just be students. But then again, it might be whoever had entered Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire. It certainly shouldn't be ignored.

'I – yes, Professor – but – The thing is, Professor,' said Filch plaintively, 'the Headmaster will have to listen to me this time, Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all – '

'Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist, it's my office that's – '

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Him! Why did he have to turn up now? Snape thought furiously. Probably seen something in one of his Dark detectors.

Snape stopped talking very abruptly as he saw Mad-Eye Moody limp into view ... wearing his old travelling cloak over his nightshirt, and leaning on his staff as usual.

'Pyjama party, is it?' he growled up the stairs. Snape wished very much now that he had robed.

'Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor,' said Filch at once. 'Peeves the poltergeist, throwing things around as usual – and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off-'

'Shut up!' Snape hissed to Filch. He did not need this mad man's attention drawn to his office again, or indeed to himself in any way.

Moody took a step closer to the foot of the stairs. His magical eye travelled over Snape, and then oddly seemed to focus in the middle distance behind Snape in surprise. Then Moody closed his mouth and turned his blue eye on Snape again.

'Did I hear correctly, Snape?' he asked slowly. 'Someone broke into your office?'

'It is unimportant,' said Snape coldly.

'On the contrary,' growled Moody, 'it is very important. Who'd want to break into your office?'

'A student, I daresay,' said Snape feeling his anger rising that this man felt he had the right to question him, ex-Auror or not. 'It has happened before. Potion ingredients have gone missing from my private store cupboard ... students attempting illicit mixtures, no doubt ...' He tried to be dismissive.

'Reckon they were after potion ingredients, eh?' said Moody. 'Not hiding anything else in your office, are you?'

Snape could feel his face colour with fury. Moody knew damn well there was nothing untoward in Snape's office. He turned it over completely and destructively before, and yet he would still stoop to trying to degrade him in front of Filch. Oh, the man was foul. But he also needed to deflect Moody from any interest in him. He didn't want to give him an excuse to think he could search his private quarters too.

'You know I'm hiding nothing, Moody,' he said in a soft and dangerous voice, 'as you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself.'

Moody's face twisted into a smile. 'Auror's privilege, Snape. Dumbledore told me to keep an eye –'

'Dumbledore happens to trust me,' said Snape, through clenched teeth. 'I refuse to believe that he gave you orders to search my office!' Not a second time, no. He would not have done that. Would he?

''Course Dumbledore trusts you,' growled Moody. 'He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me – I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?'

Snape seized his left forearm convulsively with his right hand. He could have sworn it flared briefly. But it couldn't have surely. Could it? You're becoming paranoid, Severus.

Moody laughed. Get back to bed, Snape.' Moody was sneering at Snape condescendingly. It was perfectly apparent that he knew he had the upper hand.

'You don't have the authority to send me anywhere!' Snape hissed, letting go of his arm as though angry with himself. 'I have as much right to prowl this school after dark as you do!'

'Prowl away,' said Moody, but his voice was full of menace. 'I look forward to meeting you in a dark corridor some time ..." Snape's eyes narrowed. He knew a threat when he heard it and Moody had without doubt just threatened him if he found him alone after dark. Moody was a powerful wizard, Snape knew that. He was once the best Auror in the Ministry, but one only had to look at his face to know he could be hurt – he could be beaten. Moody didn't have much further to push him and then Snape would show him just how hurt he could be ... yes, indeed. Moody was coming perilously close to pushing Snape past his endurance – an attack on him after dark would do it and Dumbledore be damned.

"you've dropped something, by the way ...' Moody said, off hand, snapping Snape out of his reverie.

There, on the staircase, where Moody was pointing, was the map. What the hell was this doing here? He had assumed Lupin still had it. It was definitely the map – he'd recognise that parchment anywhere. Snape had reached out of for it – it could well be useful in trying to figure out if Moody really was ... well ... Moody, not to mention catching Potter out of bounds.

'Accio parchment!'

The map soared down the stairs into Moody's hand.

'My mistake,' Moody said calmly. 'It's mine – must've dropped it earlier – '

But Snape's black eyes were darting from the egg in Filch's arms to the map in Moody's hand, and then he knew.

'Potter,' he said quietly. Lupin must have given it back to Potter. Merlin! I could scrag that man sometimes – husband or not!

'What's that?' said Moody calmly, folding up the map and pocketing it.

'Potter!' Snape snarled, and he turned his head and stared where Moody had been staring and, at that point, he knew with absolute certainty that Potter was – right - there. It all fell into place. 'That egg is Potter's egg. That piece of parchment belongs to Potter. I have seen it before, I recognise it! Potter is here! Potter, in his Invisibility Cloak!'

Snape stretched out his hands and began to move up the stairs. He was pretty sure now he could smell bubble bath as well. How odd.

'There's nothing there, Snape!' barked Moody. 'But I'll be happy to tell the Headmaster how quickly your mind jumped to Harry Potter!'

'Meaning what?' snarled Snape, turning again to look at Moody, his hands still outstretched.

'Meaning that Dumbledore's very interested to know who's got it in for that boy!' said Moody, limping nearer still to the foot of the stairs. 'And so am I, Snape ... very interested ...' The torchlight flickered across his mangled face, so that the scars, and the chunk missing from his nose, looked deeper and darker than ever. Snape saw Moody's eye linger on his neck and then down to his Dark Mark, the implication being that there was nothing trustworthy about Snape because he was a Death Eater and the mate of a werewolf.

Snape was looking down at Moody with loathing, but even though he would bet all his Galleons that Potter was there in his Invisibility Cloak, he did not want to be the subject of this foul old man's bigoted scrutiny or to give him a reason to interfere with the full moon that was just days away. Snape slowly lowered his hands.

'I merely thought,' said Snape, trying to keep the anger out of his voice, 'that if Potter was wandering around after hours again ... it's an unfortunate habit of his ... he should be stopped. For – for his own safety.'

'Ah, I see,' said Moody sarcastically. 'Got Potter's best interests at heart, have you?'

There was a pause. Snape and Moody were still staring at each other. You have no idea, old man,Snape thought, but I can't achieve anything arguing with you. 'I think I will go back to bed,' Snape said curtly.

'Best idea you've had all night,' said Moody, enraging Snape more, but leaving him feeling impotent, knowing that it was Moody who had the ear of Dumbledore, not himself. 'Now, Filch, if you'll just give me that egg – '

'No!' said Filch, clutching the egg to himself. 'Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves's treachery!'

'It's the property of the champion he stole it from,' said Moody. 'Hand it over, now.'

Snape had heard enough and swept downstairs and passed Moody without another word, barely registering the heavy smell of coal tar soap, and strode back to his office, beyond furious. He had no doubt that if trouble befell the brat tonight, Dumbledore would put the blame at his door. He did a quick inventory of the cupboard's contents and knew immediately what was missing. Boomslang skin. Surely, Potter had no reason to be brewing Polyjuice Potion again. Dammit, without Moody's interference I would have had the brat and his ill-gotten gains and then what would Albus say? His shoulders dropped. Why did he even bother? Even if he caught Potter red-handed, Dumbledore would find a way to get the boy off the hook. Why the hell did Albus allow all of this?

Snape had just managed to make the earlier Portkey to the retreat although it had been a desperate rush. Before meeting with his soul mate, he met with the other human mates as Lupin had arranged at Snape's request, and distributed an Apotropaic salve of essence of wild rose, hawthorn, mustard seed, and garlic, which he had brewed to ward away any other feral vampyrs that might inhabit the forest so none of the couples would feel the need to curtail their running. He shrugged off their thanks, knowing only how he would feel if Lupin would not let him fly with him whilst he ran.

His relief at making the early Portkey was profound, especially since his latest run-in with Moody. He had very much needed and wanted to be with Lupin for those few hours before moonrise. It might not be understood by others, but the exacting and bruising sex before moonrise was a purging of his anger followed by a healing balm to his ragged self-esteem and a testament to his ability to satisfy all his husband's and his own needs, both physical and spiritual. By the time of Lupin's transformation deep in the forest, Snape felt cleansed, in control and whole again as he waited to care for Lupin at his most vulnerable.

The second task was underway and Snape stood with the other staff, watching the unedifying spectacle of partisan spectators. There was precious little else to watch, after all. The champions were deep underwater now undertaking the very challenge that he and Lupin had created and which had been negotiated between Dumbledore and the merpeople. So, whilst Snape had a better idea than most what the champions faced (and indeed had experienced the Black Lake with Lupin in a way that most never would) he was bored witless and whiled away the time taking points from whatever hapless student crossed his path without behaving impeccably.

After only half an hour, Miss Delacour surfaced, defeated by the Grindylows. Lupin had, of course, taught all the Hogwarts students how to deal robustly with Grindylows. Snape was more than surprised that these brittle creatures had bested the witch that was supposed to represent all that was best of her school.

Finally, after the full hour that seemed to stretch into three, Diggory was the first champion to break the surface of the water with Miss Chan, thereby completing the task although out of time. Shortly after, he was followed by Krum with Miss Granger. Snape found his interest piqued: who would be Potter's "treasure"? Tension grew as time continued to pass and then suddenly, Potter's head broke the surface, and he was clearly distressed and gasping for air. The spectators went wild with appreciation, even more so when they saw he had not only Weasley but also Miss Delacour's small sister. He had rescued both.

Potter just had to rescue the girl – he just couldn't help himself. He clearly could have drowned by his desperate gasping. Snape shook his head in resignation and offered a small mental apology to his long deceased friend that he was clueless of the latest danger Potter's heroics had got him into. But, to his delight: Ronald Weasley was Harry Potter's precious item. How amusing, Snape smirked unpleasantly. There must be mileage to be had there, he was sure.

He watched as Dumbledore conferred with a mermaid spokeswoman and then called a conference of the judges. Snape watched with amusement as Potter paled then flushed brilliantly under the continental gratitude of Miss Delacour that was then shared with an immensely receptive Weasley. Snape sneered, but just then, Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out ... causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.

'Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Mer-cheftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions as follows ...

'Miss Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points.' Snape sneered again. Imagine being awarded points for abject failure to repel Dark creatures that any second year should be capable of despatching!

'Mr Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points.' The Hogwarts students, most particularly the Hufflepuffs, went wild.

'Mr Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points. He watch Karkaroff strut proudly. and rolled his eyes.

'Mr Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect,' Bagman continued. The effect on Snape was electric. There was only one place Potter could have got Gillyweed and that was his own private stores – the Gillyweed he himself had collected when he was with Lupin in the summer. He would check his stores, but he knew. He bristled with anger, and drew in a breath sharply between his clenched teeth to clamp down on the rising anger. Yes, he'd tell Dumbledore – for what that was worth. He heard Bagman announce some tripe about Potter showing "moral fibre" and awarding him forty-five points so, by Snape's calculations, Potter now tied for first place with Diggory. Good to know that thieves prosper, he thought bitterly and didn't listen to any more, but his frown was as dark and forbidding as that of Igor Karkaroff on the platform below.

ooo000ooo

"... And if he'd come to you to ask for Gillyweed, Severus," Lupin said, in his most reasonable voice, "would you have given it to him freely?"

"I would not have been permitted to, under the rules ..." Snape blustered, knowing in his heart that he would have refused in any event, just as Lupin knew it, so he would never convince Lupin of the boy's felony.

"Then, what was he supposed to do?" Lupin asked quietly.

The blessed Golden Trio were chattering away, oblivious to basic potioneering safety as usual. He easily advanced silently on them and listened with barely restrained disgust to Miss Granger's wittering about Krum. Whatever he may have thought of her, he had not thought her many faults might encompass the brainless adulation of a Quidditch player – then again - he inclined his head at Potter - look who her best friend was.

'Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger,' Snape said coldly, 'I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor.' Then Snape saw what Miss Granger was holding under the table. Really?

'Ah ... reading magazines under the table as well?' Well, well, Miss Granger really was full of surprises today – a pappy magazine: he would have expected this from Miss Parkinson, but not Miss Granger. This just gets better and better. He snatched the copy of Witch Weekly from her. 'A further ten points from Gryffindor ... oh, but of course ...' Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. 'Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings ...'

Snape smirked as the dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter. He started to read the preposterous article aloud, delighting in the fury so readily apparent on Potter's face.

'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache ...dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? A boy like no other, perhaps ...' Snape paused, his smirk deepening as the Slytherins laughed louder. He read the whole atrocious and vacuous article, torturing each sentence just for sight of Potter's exquisite agony of embarrassment, occasionally accompanied by Miss Granger's. What did he expect if he paraded his press cuttings like this, the stupid boy! He certainly had his favourites – oh yes – this one: 'Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy ...can you not, Potter? In what way are you deficient? How very remiss of you,' he drawled with obvious pleasure. (Oh, but this was priceless!)

'... Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate. How very touching,' sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. 'Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now.' His tone brooked no disagreement.

The brat threw his ingredients and bag into his cauldron and dragged it up to the front of the dungeon as Snape instructed and he followed close behind, taking his own seat as Potter resumed the mashing of his scarab beetles, imagining each one to have Snape's face. Really, the boy was too open and really too inventive when it came to his loathing. Not that Snape was bothered by the child's hatred of him. It helped to lessen his own guilt. However, he had business with this child and open confrontation might get back to Moody so this would have to do.

'All the press attention seems ot have inflated your already overlarge head, Potter,' Snape said quietly. The boy didn't answer. Snape could read that Potter thought Snape was trying to provoke him so he could take more points. I'd certainly love to take fifty points for your theft from my office, brat! he thought angrily.

'You might be labouring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you,' Snape went on, so quietly that no one else could hear him, 'but I don't care how many times your picture appears inthe papers. To me, Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him.' He could see the boy's hands slightly shaking with anger, but Potter still tried to ignore him.

'So I give you fair warning, Potter,' in a softer, more dangerous voice, 'pint-sized celebrity or not- if I catch you breaking into my office one more time – '

'I haven't been anywhere near your office!' Potter interrupted angrily.

'Don't lie to me,' Snape hissed, his fathomless black eyes boring into Potter's. 'Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them.'

Potter stared at him, trying to look innocent and not to blink . Guilty thoughts flashed across the child's mind, but they were indefinite and hazy.

"I don't know what you're talking about,' Potter lied, and Snape could read that it was a lie.

'You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!' Snape hissed, his eyes narrowing as he saw the boy prepare to deny it. 'I know it, Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behaviour! One more night-time stroll into my office, Potter, and you will pay!'

'I'll bear that in mind if I ever get the urge to go in there,' the brat cheeked. Snape was reminded very forcefully indeed why he knew he would never have children as he fought the urge to backhand this child very hard indeed.

Snape's eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. He read the child's fear that Snape would curse him. Well, he'd come close, that was for sure. Snape drew out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion.

'Do you know what this is, Potter?' Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again. The child did not. 'It is Veritaserum – a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear,' said Snape viciously. 'Now, the use of this Potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines.' Regrettably, he thought. 'But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips – ' he shook the crystal bottle slightly, ' – right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then, Potter ... then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not.'

The child said nothing, but Snape read a riot of confused thoughts swirling in Potter's mind of Miss Granger, Miss Chan, Black and, quite curiously, a house elf. How interesting. He was about to put his mind to trying to fish more out of Potter's mind when there was a knock on the door.

Karkaroff. His stomach sank. He thought he had been too successful in avoiding him since Christmas. He had obviously decided to beard the lion in his den, as it were. Well, full marks for sheer cheek, Snape thought.

'We need to talk,' said Karkaroff abruptly but no more than a whisper so the class would not hear.

'I'll talk to you after my lesson, Karkaroff –' Snape muttered, but Karkaroff interrupted him.

'I want to talk now, while you can't slip off, Severus. You've been avoiding me.' Karkaroff's face was filled with worry.

'After the lesson,' Snape snapped angrily. Karkaroff did not leave but hovered behind Snape's desk for the rest of the lesson until the students were dismissed, by which time, Snape was furious at the very public intrusion.

'What's so urgent?' Snape hissed.

'This,' said Karkaroff, brandishing his Dark Mark to Snape. Snape said nothing. What was there to say – it was what it was – he had eyes in his head too. 'Well? Do you see? It's never been this clear, never since –'

'Put it away!' snarled Snape, his black eyes sweeping the classroom. He had a feeling they were not alone, although he could see no-one else.

'But you must have noticed – ' Karkaroff began in an agitated voice.

'We can talk later, Karkaroff!' spat Snape as he saw what he had sensed earlier. 'Potter! What are you doing?' How does this brat always manage to stick his nose where it doesn't belong?

'Clearing up my armadillo bile, Professor,' Potter said, trying to appear innocent, showing Snape the sodden rag he was holding. Karkaroff turned on his heel and strode out of the dungeon, then Potter cleared his things into his bag and fled the room.

Snape slumped into his chair, and rubbed his left forearm involuntarily. Did Karkaroff really think Snape just hadn't noticed? More to the point for Snape was that Lupin could see it so very clearly because he didn't see it every day so each change was remarked upon and the changes were more rapid now. Snape didn't think it would be much longer. He had told Dumbledore this. Karkaroff had told him at the Yule Ball that he would flee if the Mark burned. Snape could not flee. Indeed, he would not flee – he would have a job to do, however unwanted and unpleasant it would be.

He didn't want to think on it and what it might mean. His hand went to his upper arm and traced the circlet as he turned his mind to thoughts of Lupin instead.
- 41
- 42
- 43
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

You Will Not Kiss Me